Manchester City fans have had to wait very patiently, but the moment Gabriel Jesus is unleashed in sky blue is now spine-tinglingly close.The Brazilian, who signed for the club for 27 million last summer from Palmeiras but completed the 2016 Brasileiro Serie A season before moving to England, could make his debut against Evertonon Sunday.Pep Guardiola will be hoping Gabriels 2017 is just as impressive as the previous calendar year, where he fired Palmeiras to a domestic title and emerged as his nations No. 1 choice in the lone-striker role. Flanked by the mercurial Neymar and one of Philippe Coutinho or Willian, hes dealt damage to the tune of five goals in six senior appearances. He also won Olympic gold on home soil alongside talents such as Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa and Luan.While certain allowances must be made for a player who is just 19 years of age and recently moved continents, its difficult not to get excited about the prospect of Gabriel taking to Premier League turf. Hes shown over the past 12 months why hes regarded as one of the most talented teenagers in football, and it must be said hes a great fit for Guardiolas philosophy.Plenty of StrengthsGabriel is a super-mobile, aggressive forward who operates at an extremely high intensity. Theres nothing lethargic about anything he does; he plays at full speed, closing players down and pressing to force errors, and he frequently sparks incisive moves on the ball.Right off the bat, these are all qualities Guardiola embraces. So long as Gabriel can be taught to press in the right waythat is, to close off either passing lanes or outball options as and when appropriatehe can be the first line of defence Pep wants from his striker.Palmeiras have consistently benefited from Gabriels willingness to chase and harry, placing opposing defenders and goalkeepers under pressure. Forcing shanked clearances that result in throw-ins or corners is quite normal for the Brazilian speedster.When he gets on the ball, hes quick, hes good in tight spaces and will happily take players on one-on-one.As is the case with most young players, theres still an element of error and/or overcomplication to his runs in possession sometimes, but given he can also pry open a defence and make the difference after beating three before slamming home, its a case of taking the rough with the smooththe Allianz Parque crowd have learned to, at least.One notable aspect of his play is his willingness to go wide (to find space), then use those areas well. Too many young attackers have eyes only for cutting inside and shooting, but Gabriel is happy to hit the byline and stretch a defence, expanding the space between the lines and bringing the goalkeeper into action at the near post.His crossing is pretty goodnot bad, but certainly not greatand his willingness to get his head up and deliver balls into the box from these narrow positions has been a great source of profit for Palmeiras.Its not necessarily where he plays best, but his ability to operate in these areas and create these chances helped Alviverde midfielders such as Dudu (six), Cleiton Xavier (four), Roger Guedes (four) and Moises (three) boost their goal tallies.That willingness to drift wide and stretch the pitch is a trait Guardiola lovesits the reason Jesus Navas, despite his obvious faults, still has a role to play at Cityand Gabriel needs no tutoring in this area.But as good as his movement on the ball is, his finest trait is undoubtedly his movement off it. His nose for space is incredible, his on-the-shoulder runs are relentless, and the way he drifts across the defensive line to create room for lifted passes is seriously impressive.Gabriels movement, paired with the creativity of the likes of Dudu and Xavier, caused defensive lines in Brazil all sorts of issues in 2016, and Gabriel was able to transfer that straight to the international stage, too.Quick out of the blocks and speedy over longer distances, Gabriels go-to run is the one in behind; hes always testing the shoulder of the defender and loves to chase longer passes into that space.When Palmeiras are in possession and theres no space, he simply creates it: moving laterally across the line in order to create an angle, hell move from one centre-backs marking responsibility to anothers so fast that before hes been passed on, hes bearing down on goal.Gabriel is the kind of striker David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne willlove playing with.From there, his finishing comes under the spotlight, and its a trait that has caused some difficulty when judging. He managed a reasonable 12 goals in 26 starts during Palmeiras Serie A campaign, but that was inclusive of a quite remarkable goal drought that spanned just over two months. When he finally broke it, scuffing a finish home against Atletico Mineiro, he broke into tears in presumed relief.In front of goal, Gabriel picks between a powered finish or a chipped one; caressed, curling finishes are few and far between. Every goal hes netted for the Brazil national side has been either spectacular or bordering on it, with chips against Venezuela and Bolivia the picks of the bunch.He showcases his explosiveness when engineering a yard before slamming into the corner when in tight spaces, while at close range when running on to crosses, he opts for power in order to make sure.Confidence, obviously, is key, but one thing to watch is just how affected Gabriel gets when its not going his way in front of goal.A Select Few WeaknessesNo 19-year-old is perfect, and Gabriel has his share of weaknesses. Some are inherent due to his size, somatotype and style, but some can be worked on in the early months of his City career.Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gabriel wins very little in the air. He loses almost every aerial hes involved in, particularly when the ball is being launched forward from defence, meaning Palmeiras went through patches in games in which they struggled to maintain possession.Fortunately, City under Guardiola turn ablind eye to the art of hoofball, so that weakness will not be exposed regularly and wont hinder the teams buildup.A part of his game in need of ironing out is the amount of time he spends on the deck. Premier League punters turn on simulators and divers very quickly, and while Gabriel isnt in that category, the amount of time he spends clutching his shin/ankle/foot after heavier challenges will irk supporters and see him eventually lumped in with Ashley Young if hes not careful.In 2016 league play, Gabriel was as much a yellow card machine as a goal machine; he managed only one fewer caution (11) than he did goals (12), and in his final 13 Serie A games, he accrued more than double the amount of yellows (seven) than combined goals and assists (three).Petulance and discipline on the pitch are Gabriels biggest short-term roadblocks to success at City. When thats the case, you know youve got a precocious talent on the books, and the Brazilian will lend a big helping hand to Guardiolas pursuit of English silverware this season and beyond.All statistics via WhoScored.comFacebook.com/SamTigheBR
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